In the metal forming industry, sheet metal blanks are oftentimes manufactured with an outer flange that extends around the periphery of the sheet metal blank so that during a subsequent metal forming operation, bead structures formed in the upper and lower die will have blank material to engage and clamp onto. The bead structures usually consist of a male bead formed in a binder ring of one of the die and a female groove formed in a binder ring of the other die, and are designed to mate with one another when the upper and lower dies are brought together under the force of a hydraulic or other type of press. By firmly clamping the outer flange between the opposing bead structures, frictional and deformational forces restrict the outer flange from being pulled into the center of the die during the metal forming process.
Furthermore, the compressional interaction between the bead structures and the outer flange of the sheet metal blank influence the amount of sheet metal material that is drawn into the die. If too little material is drawn in, then it can result in tears or cracks in the formed part; conversely, if too much material is drawn in, the formed part can exhibit wrinkles and/or other surface distortions. After the metal forming process, the outer flange is typically cut or otherwise removed from the formed part and is discarded as scrap material.